Hair drier

ABSTRACT

This hair drier has a fan for producing a stream of air, a heater for heating the stream, and a cubicle adapted to be fixed to a wall. The cubicle has a forwardly and downwardly open aperture for access of a person&#39;&#39;s head to a head-receiving space defined by a lining which extends downwardly at the rear of the cubicle to such an extent as to dry shoulder-length hair. The lining extends forwardly over a person&#39;&#39;s head, and downwardly over the user&#39;&#39;s forehead to dry hair at the user&#39;&#39;s forehead. In use the cubicle is preferably fixed to a wall, for instance at a height which is adjustable to allow a user to stand comfortably.

1 Mar. 25, 1975 HAIR DRIER [75] Inventor: Benedikt Klaus, Lenzkirch, Black Forest, Germany [73] Assignee: Kadus Werk Ludwig Kegel KG,

ls enzkjrc h, Black Forest, Germany [22] Filed: July 18, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 380,399

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 20, 1972 Germany 2235702 [52] U.S. Cl. 34/99, 34/98 [51] Int. Cl A45d 20/25 [58] Field of Search 34/90, 91, 96-101, 34/243 R; 219/369, 370

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,027,694 l/1936 List et a1 34/100 2,040,268 5/1936 Orton 34/98 2,078,047 4/1937 Zingone t 34/98 2,633,647 4/1953 Jones 34/99 3,082,540 3/1963 Hiltenbrand 34/100 3229703 1/1966 Thompson et a1. 134/100 3,384,977 5/1968 Rosenberg 34/99 3,603,002 9/1971 Spierer 34/243 R 3,609,879 10/1971 Hanisco 34/99 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 924,583 3/1955 Germany 34/99 915,436 l/l963 United Kingdom Primary Examiner-Kenneth W. Sprague Assistant Examiner-James C. Yeung Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Owen, Wickersham & Erickson [5 7] ABSTRACT This hair drier has a fan for producing a stream of air, a heater for heating the stream, and a cubicle adapted to be fixed to a wall. The cubicle has a forwardly and downwardly open aperture for access of a persons head to a head-receiving space defined by a lining which extends downwardly at the rear of the cubicle to such an extent as to dry shoulder-length hair. The lining extends forwardly over a persons head, and downwardly over the users forehead to dry hair at the user's forehead. In use the cubicle is preferably fixed to a wall, for instance at a height which is adjustable to allow a user to stand comfortably.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEB HAR 2 5 i9?5 SHEET 2 OF 2 HAIR DRIER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to hair drying apparatus, particularly to hair driers for use at, for instance, a swimming pool.

Hair driers having a head-receiving space, a fan for generating an air stream in the space, and an electrical heating device, often connected sequentially to the fan, have long been known, and are called turbulence-flow or blower drying hoods.

At many indoor swimming pools, in which there is swimming throughout the year, it has become accepted practice to place hair driers at the disposal of the swim- ,mers, so that the swimmers do not have to leave the area of the indoor swimming pool with wet hair.

For indoor swimming pools, hair driers in the form of hair dressers drying hoods have the disadvantage that it is necessary to, so to speak, put on the hood and to adjust its height to the size of the user, and this frequently requires the assistance of a second person. Such drying hood devices are not practical for the changing rooms of indoor swimming pools, since even if the hood is secured to the wall, the user is required to insert his or her head, from below, into the hood. Drying blowers with no hood are not effective with regard to efficacy and utilization of the stream of hot air.

The prior-art drying hood devices also do not effectively dry long hair hanging over the shoulders, bearing in mind that at indoor swimming pools it is normally necessary to dry hair which hangs down and is not in curlers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A hair drying apparatus in accordance with this invention comprises not only a fan for producing a flow of air and an electrical heating device for heating the flow of air, but also a cubicle adapted to be fixed to a wall. The cubicle comprises a lining defining a space for receiving a users head, the lining being formed with a large number of holes through which heated air may be blown to dry a users hair. The cubicle is open at the front by virtue of the lining defining a forwardly and downwardly open access aperture for entry of the users head to the head-receiving space. The shell has top, rear, and side wall portions, of which the rear wall portion is formed to extend at least as far as a users neck, whilst the top portion extends forwards over the users head. In an embodiment of the apparatus the top wall portion of the lining extends'downwardly to an extent just sufficient for heated air from those holes on that wall portion to be directed to the region of the forehead of a person.

In another embodiment of the invention a plurality of such cubicles are arranged as a unit, and are provided with a common fan and heater. Any cubicle may be provided with a coin accepting mechanism or with foot operated contacts or photoelectric cells for operating the drier.

An advantage which can be achieved with such a drier is that it is possible to dry long hair without assistance from other persons, the user entering the cubicle from the front, without appreciable hinderance to his or her head. The invention is therefore particularly useful in, for instance, changing rooms of swimming pools.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of some preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. I is a diagrammatic view in perspective of two hair driers embodying the principles of the invention, attached to a wall at different heights, both being used by stick figures.

FIG. 2 is a side view in section through one of the hair driers of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective, somewhat diagrammatic of four aligned hair driers, having a common hot air supply.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION FIG. 1 shows two identical hair driers l and 1a secured to a wall 10. As FIG. 1 shows, the two driers l and la may be fixed to the wall 10 at different heights, so that persons 11 and 12 of different heights may be readily able to use them. Each drier 1, la is in the form of a'cubicle comprising a flat rear surface 13 (See FIG. 2) for positioning against the wall 10, and a front inclined wall 2 provided with an aperture 14 for access to a lining or inner surface 3. The lining 3 defines a head-receiving space. Above the aperture 14 a front wall portion 15 extends vertically for a short distance. The lining 3 of the cubicle is generally concave or round, tapering slightly in the upward direction. The entire lin'ing 3 has such a shape and is formed with holes or nozzles 4 in such manner and with such distribution that long, depending hair can be blown with hot air from all sides. Since hair, after swimming or showering, generally hangs down, the rear wall portions 24 and the lateral wall portions 16 of the lining 3 extend down to such an extent that drying of hair even longer than shoulder length is possible, and the actual size and depth may be varied as desired. The distance from the topmost portion 17 of the inner surface to the bottom 18 of the rear and lateral wall portions 24 and 16 may be at least 9 inches, and preferably at least' 10 or ll inches, and may be even more, if desired.

A front portion 19 of the lining 3 of the cubicle may extend down below the topmost surface 17, to some extent, as shown in FIG. 2, so that hair at a persons forehead may also be dried.

The devices 1 and 1a are supplied with hot air by means of a fan, or blower 25, having a sequentially connected air heating device 26, e.g., an electrical heating device. Both these elements are disposed in a heaterblower housing 5 attached to the upper side of the device. The housing 5 is formed with apertures 6 for suctional intake of air. The drier may be started by means of a coin accepting mechanism 7, expediently attached on one of the lateral walls of the device.

The hair drier described above constitutes a prefabricated unit, which makes it possible, depending on requirements, to align a plurality of such units 1, la, etc.,

or to secure them separately from each other, at various levels on a wall 10, as illustrated in FIG. 1 in respect of two devices.

Alternatively, a plurality of drier cubicles may be provided as a single blower-heater unit 8 as illustrated with regard to four cubicles 20, 21, 22, and 23 in FIG. 3. In such an embodiment, hot air may be supplied to all the cubicles 20, 21, 22, and 23 from a common fan having a sequentially connected electrical heating device. The fan-heater unit 8 may have its housing disposed, if possible symmetrically, on the upper side of one of the cubicles or to bridge two of them. Formed in a lateral wall or in both lateral walls of the housing is an air inlet aperture, which may be covered, for instance, with a decorative grating.

As an alternative to, or additionally to the coin accepting mechanism 7 for operating the drier 1 or 1a, a photoelectric cell 27 or a foot actuated contact 28 may be provided.

The cubicles may be arranged to be vertically adjustable, as by a rack 29 (FIG. 2). In the case of a plurality of cubicles arranged as one unit, they may be jointly adjustable similarly on a rack 29 (FIG. 3).

To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

What is claimed is:

l. A hair drying apparatus comprising,

at least one cubicle comprising a substantially rectangular housing having a top, side walls, a back wall and a front wall provided with a downwardly facing arched opening,

the top of the arch being spaced below the upper edge of the front wall,

said housing being open at its bottom,

means for mounting said housing substantially upright for vertically adjustable movements on a support,

a downwardly concave perforated lining within the housing extending from about the opening in the front wall, with the lining extending upwardly from the arch of the opening, then toward the rear wall and downwardly in parallel spaced relation thereto,

means for delivering a stream of hot air to the rear surface of said lining,

the space within said lining being of a depth which is greater than that of a persons head,

whereby a person may enter within the concavity of the liner upright through said front wall opening and be subjected to streams of hot air directed against the head including the forehead and back of the neck and head.

2. A hair drying apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for delivering a stream of hot air comprises a heater and fan mounted on the top wall of the housing.

3. A hair drying apparatus including a plurality of cubicles as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housings are in side-by-side relation.

4. A hair drying apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein said plurality of cubicles are jointly vertically adjustable.

5. A hair drying apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein the means for delivering a stream of hot air is common to said plurality of cubicle.

6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein each cubicle comprises a coin accepting mechanism for controlling the operation of the cubicle.

7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising photoelectric cell means for controlling the operation of each cubicle.

8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising a foot-actuated switch for controlling the operation of 

1. A hair drying apparatus comprising, at least one cubicle comprising a substantially rectangular housing having a top, side walls, a back wall and a front wall provided with a downwardly facing arched opening, the top of the arch being spaced below the upper edge of the front wall, said housing being open at its bottom, means for mounting said housing substantially upright for vertically adjustable movements on a support, a downwardly concave perforated lining within the housing extending from about the opening in the front wall, with the lining extending upwardly from the arch of the opening, then toward the rear wall and downwardly in parallel spaced relation thereto, means for delivering a stream of hot air to the rear surface of said lining, the space within said lining being of a depth which is greater than that of a person''s head, whereby a person may enter within the concavity of the liner upright through said front wall opening and be subjected to streams of hot air directed against the head including the forehead and back of the neck and head.
 2. A hair drying apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the means for delivering a stream of hot air comprises a heater and fan mounted on the top wall of the housing.
 3. A hair drying apparatus including a plurality of cubicles as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housings are in side-by-side relation.
 4. A hair drying apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein said plurality of cubicles are jointly vertically adjustable.
 5. A hair drying apparatus in accordance with claim 3, wherein the means for delivering a stream of hot air is common to said plurality of cubicle.
 6. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein each cubicle comprises a coin accepting mechanism for controlling the operation of the cubicle.
 7. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising photoelectric cell means for controlling the operation of each cubicle.
 8. An apparatus as recited in claim 1, comprising a foot-actuated switch for controlling the operation of each cubicle. 